William (Bill) and Adam met in August 2002 at the University of Missouri where Adam was starting his second year of law school and Bill was starting his graduate program in education. After thirteen years together, we are excited to share their beautiful wedding at Pleasant Home, also known as the John Farson House—a historic home located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. The large, Prairie style mansion was designed by architect George Washington Maher and completed in 1897.
Adam adores Bill’s smile, his humor and how he makes others feel special and Bill adores Adam’s selflessness, his humor and of course…his DIMPLES! This loving couple likes to take romantic walks in the beautiful Oak Park neighborhood, exploring new places whether it’s on vacation or a day trip somewhere spontaneous, dining and drinking al fresco, entertaining guests in their home and enjoying each other’s company with a night home together.
We walked down the aisle together and faced each other throughout the ceremony, set in front of the mansion’s beautiful fireplace and mantle. We listened to our best friends read scripture, poems, and song lyrics that were meaningful to us. We exchanged our own vows along with those of the church. Our friends and families affirmed our marriage and decision through a group blessing. We had both written our own vows and had kept them secret from each other. It turned out we both included some of the same stories in our vows, making them that much more special. We both remember looking at each other, reading our vows and feeling like no one else was there. It was an intimate moment during a day that is filled with activity and it was very special to us. We signed our marriage license, while our string quartet played Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” and then we sealed it all with a kiss and a walk back down the aisle, hand in hand.
This unique wedding was extraordinary thanks in part to their mix of traditional and modern elements utilizing local vendors. They used the main floor of the mansion, along with its outdoor covered porch for cocktail hour and dinner and did a selection of passed hors d’oeuvres with three food stations that were open for dinner along with wedding cake and a spectacular pie bar for dessert. A full bar was also available and the music was provided by a traditional string quartet called Artistrings that played a combination of current and classic fare. They played contemporary music on traditional instruments including a custom arrangement of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” for their marriage certificate signing. The couple are both huge Whitney Houston fans. The reception music included a mix of contemporary songs such as a custom arrangement of “Uptown Funk”—one of Adam’s favorite songs. It was awesome to hear all of their favorite pop and rock songs!
The food stations served customary comfort food creations in miniature such as meatloaf, sliders, pasta, individual rustic salads with butternut squash soup shooters and more. The architecture of the mansion with its wood paneling, stained glass and intricate moldings and painted ceilings, to the glow of the antique light fixtures, fireplaces and our selection of brown, silver and white mercury glass candleholders, to the interesting floral arrangement of grasses, pods and orchids, the décor and environment lent itself to a very autumnal, masculine, welcoming feel for the eventful day. It’s hard to believe this whole day was pulled off in just eight weeks right?!
Congratulations Bill and Adam!
Ceremony & Reception/Caterer: TwoMaytoz Catering. This is the catering arm of the couple’s favorite Oak Park restaurant, Cucina Paradiso.
Invitation: Custom design by Paper Source
Florist: Moss Modern Flowers
Bakery: Sugar Fixé Patisserie Oak Park
Suits: Suitsupply
Music/Entertainment: Artistrings
Officiant: Reverend Bryan Cones
Awesome photos. Adam and Bill were awesome to design flowers for their very special day. We had a great time working with all the vendors on this lovely event.
Great images! The details look amazing.
What a beautiful set of images and a lovely wedding you captured.